3.5 stars rounded up.

The Isles of the Gods hit all the popular YA fantasy tropes, and did a great job of telling a story filled with sympathetic characters to root for. Although at times the twists and plot were predictable.

We have:

- Magic system based on elements
- Religious conflict between nations
- Found family
- Opposites attract
- Falling in love with someone in a different social class/Cinderella story
- Hints of The Chosen One
- Not like other girls
- Going on a quest to save the world
- Good vs. Evil

While some of these tropes aren't my favorites, the author still managed to create a decent story. It's slightly above your average run-of-the-mill YA fantasy.

I did love the world building and the religious conflict between the nations. Although the idea of having each nation be beholden to their own specific god seems insular, this is a YA fantasy so I understand that things are simplified.

I also loved the action packed scenes. Once the action got going, it really went all out. But the author was skillful and left enough breathing room so that the action was impactful without being overwhelming.

Other reviewers have mentioned the multiple POVs. I had no issue with it, except that Jude's POV didn't seem to make too much of an impact on the whole story. ***SPOILERS*** I was hoping for a redemption arc for him. But alas, that didn't happen. Though I suspect it might occur in a sequel. ***END SPOILERS***

The Big Bad, along with her goals, do seem very one-dimensional though. I wished that her story would've been more nuanced. We get to read her POV, but it feels robotic, like she had no feelings (whether good or bad) for any of the atrocities she committed. She's the jealous and angry younger sister to a crime lord, and that's literally her only trait.

But even with my complaints, I'll still hang around to read the next installment. The author left enough storylines dangling for a sequel or two.

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

Amie Kaufman is someone I always telling myself I’m going to read more of and this is why!

This book was amazing, the world building, the chatatcers, etc. they were all great and really stuck out for me!

The characters were well rounded and abundant in adventure. I enjoyed reading all their POVs. There was also a dash of romance which I love!

What a fantastic adventure story! I loved the high stakes, interesting magic system, and extremely slowburn romance.

Things I didn't care so much for were the setting which seemed early 1900s gangster and simultaneously high-seas which kinda had me scratching my head, and I wasn't a fan of so many POVs in the first person. That just seems like a personal preference for me though.

Regardless of my criticism the story was well written and a lot of fun. I can't wait to see how the story will unfold in future installments.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

Thank you to @netgalley @randomhousekids @knopfteen for an eARC of The Isles of the Gods by @amiekaufmanauthor !

The Isles of the Gods is an epic Multi-POV Fantasy Adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat. Incredible magic system, worldbuilding, and characters- this story about old sleeping Gods and the countries they left behind will leave you in anticipation with every turn on the page and every chapter read determined to find out what happens next. I definitely can’t wait for the next installment in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I love the cover. The artist is one of my favorites and that was what drew me to the book at first. I’m not a fan of high fantasy books but this one was actually very good. I have a soft spot for sailors/pirates so this was right up my alley.

What happens when a prince on a mission to stop a war, a scholar running away from his arranged marriage, and a sailor desperate to find her father end up trying to save the world together? You also throw in an ex rich boy who’s fallen on hard times in desperate need of money to save his mother and two sisters hell bent on causing a war and we get this action packed story.

I loved our main characters here. I’m glad this is going to be a series because the book ended at a point where I was really getting invested. The last half of the book picked up a lot for me and I was ready to figure out the ending. I was rooting for my babies to make it to the Isle in order to save the world. That ending had me shook I’m ready for book 2 already!

Gosh this book was sad. Sad things just kept happening over and over again. I can just imagine the pain and anguish Leander felt. And poor Shelly. Everyone sure does have a lot of trauma that they have to work through now.

The enemies (?) to lovers/ forced proximity/ slow burn romance that Leander and Selly had was so cute. I shipped them from the moment she put the flower in his hair and made fun of him. I knew they would be adorable together. Also I want to know more about Jude. He’s a central character but he doesn’t have much screen time. I wanted to get into the meat of his story.

Although I’m not a fan of high fantasy, this one did it for me. It’s very character driven and divided into different POVs in each chapter. You see a lot of the magical world they are in as well as their powers. There’s a mystery there with Selly’s power I’m dying to know about.

The backdrop is a rich world with clashing cultures and lifestyles. It has opposing gods with people pushed about like pieces of a high-stakes game. I found the magic system intriguing, and as a reader, you are given information, slowly building your understanding as you follow the characters. The story includes a scholar, a sailor, a prince magician with uncanny power over the elements, a torn enforcer, and a criminal zealot.

Sometimes when I read more than one perspective, I prefer one storyline over the other, and I will skip over most of the content of the less intriguing characters. I followed Keegan, Leander, and Selly's storylines, only reading the basics for the other perspectives.

It was a good solid read. The conclusion felt a little weak, which turned this from almost a 5-star to a 4. I prefer stories with a true conclusion, but this story had a lot of pieces happening at once hence the need to split up the novel. Note: I also was a little surprised that this is considered a Teen & YA. I would probably push this toward the adult fantasy genre due to the violence.

This book surprised me. I loved it! I wasn't too sure what to think of everyone at first, as we move POV every chapter and that leaves us little time to get to know each character in the beginning. But I quickly adjusted and enjoyed the multiple POV and how it opened up the world. I do wish we saw a bit more of Jude, but I assume we will in book two.

This book is quite violent (not gory though) so I will say, if that isn't your cup of tea...

But wow! So much going on, always an adventure, I love seeing a magical female pirate story!

The slow burn is VERY slow burn, and well done, I'm excited to see where that goes next.

The ending is *chefs kiss*

Bravo

ARC Review: The Isles of the Gods

Rating: ✨5/5✨
Spice: 😘👫🏻
Genre: YA Fantasy
Tropes: magic system, strong FMC, enemies to lovers, slow burn

Hey y'all! I'm here with another review. This one I'm so excited about because I really liked it and I think it's going to quickly become a fan favorite. With that, let's jump in!

Summary: Selly has no intention of riding out the winter on land while her father sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician's marks on his arm boards her ship, presenting her and the crew with a dangerous mission: to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods.

---

In terms of writing style, I found the author's story to be really engaging and exciting. Amie successfully wrote about pirates and magic in such a fun way. She takes ideas we classically know and turns them on their head. The magic background was pretty cool, but was left with some question marks. I assume book 2 will expand more. .

The plot structure was well done, and the pacing was steady, but definitely got slower in some sections. The twists and turns the characters faced were surprising and weren't overly foreshadowed. The book is definitely getting a second to add to the series.

The characters in the book were well-developed and quirky. Their motivations made sense, except maybe Laskia. Her character ARC was a bit of a let down, but I'm excited to see where Amie takes her (even darker I hope). I was totally invested in their lives and story outcomes. Especially Selly. I really connected to her idgaf attitude and confidence in herself. The relationship with Leander felt super natural and believable.

Overall, I really liked the book. I would recommend it to others because [reasons]. I am excited to pick up the next book in the series. Now I just have to wait for it. 🙃

Thank you to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review the ARC. My rating for the book is ✨5/5✨

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman, is a YA Fantasy book that will be published on May 1st, 2023.

I read an eARC of The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s Publishing.

The weird thing about this book was I read it supper quickly and was engaged in every moment of the action and what was going on, but I couldn’t say I cared about any of the third-person perspectives that we got from any of our teenagers. Or maybe I really cared for any of them. They never felt like real characters for me, they just felt like the stereotypes that make up most books, but without real depth to make them interesting. Jude was the one I was the most invested with, and he didn’t have much going on in this story action-wise as he was mostly being pulled along by other characters, but his background and progression felt like they had a little depth outside the other characters.

That said, I can’t fault this story for its engagement. While I’m not excited for the sequel, I did eat up this book in record time and I was genuinely having fun reading what happened next. The prose skated the line between noncomplicated, and not boring. It wasn’t so overwritten with the metaphor that it got lost in itself, but it wasn’t boring prose either. The plot only slowed down a few times to explain itself, and mostly it just let the world be and let us explore it through the world’s eyes.

I’d say this is a definite borrow, at least to check out how much you connect with the characters more than I did.

Previously I'd only read the Aurora series, which Kaufman co-wrote with Jay Kristoff. I very much enjoyed that, but this was a much appreciated refreshing kind of voice. The characters are so rootable and this read was perfect for this moment in my life. I am very excited to see what Kaufman does next and will definitely be following her!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow.

I can confidently say this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

So many twists and turns. It made me cry, it made me scared, it made me happy, it made me angry. Basically I felt a rollercoaster of emotions as I journeyed through this book.

Selly. My girl Selly. From the first chapter in her POV I knew I was going to love her, and love her I did. I can honestly say she is one of my favorite female characters! She is so cool and funny, she loves sailing and being on the ocean like I do, she’s strong willed, and she remains calm in stressful situations. There’s nothing I don’t love about her.

I love characters like Leander too because he is suave and charming but he also has a big heart and cares deeply about people. It’s the perfect balance of cocky and lighthearted but sweet when it matters. My heart broke for him throughout the book when he felt so much guilt.

I LOVED Selly and Leander together, they melted my heart. If I didn’t love them together so much I’d want them for myself! All their subtle touches were so precious I melted every time. I loved their bickering and the tension between them. They had such a natural progression; their relationship never seemed forced. They are soulmates through and through. I could honestly go on and on about all the moments I loved between them because they were so many absolutely heart clenching sweet and funny moments, but I don’t want to spoil it here.

I hated every time Laskia’s POV came up. If her POV was supposed to make us care about her or feel bad for her in any way it did not. She just came across as a spoiled child. I get that’s the point but I dreaded it every time.

Jude was okay, I didn’t connect with him until the end of the book. I think I just wanted to get his POVs over with so I could get back to the main trio, but by the end I really enjoyed him. Keegan was a great character, but I could have done without his POV as well sometimes and just had Selly and Leander, but they did have nice insight to things that were happening away from the couple. I loved that Keegan liked books so much, and how he talked about escaping to other worlds in them.

I loved their little found family. It was so cute when Selly kept saying “the boys.” Any time they were traveling out on the open water my heart was pounding so hard because I was so scared what would happen. But it was so good. I loved watching their growth as characters. It was very subtle at first, but then it was there and it was wonderful.

I really liked Rensa as well! There was something about her that made me like and trust her right away. But I may be a sucker for ship captains as well.

I thought the magic system was really interesting! I haven’t read anything like it before. I’m excited for it to be explored more in the next book!

The ending was pure evil only because it makes me need the second book so desperately I’m not quite sure how I’m going to make it without it, considering I read this early and the book hasn’t even officially come out yet. I have so many questions that stems back from the prologue even that I need the answers to!

I can’t stress enough that everyone needs to read this book. It will not disappoint!

I love a good seafaring fantasy novel. This book was interesting because it had a bunch of POVs, so it was hard to keep track of the characters. In fact, I was about halfway through the book before I felt like I had a handle on who was who. I also felt like one of the main characters was a stereotype that had no real personality of his own. His character is built around being charming, and even in his POV chapters, he talks about how charming he is. "Whatever. I'm charming. I can make it work." "I'm so very good at being charming." (These quotes are subject to change with the final version.) This character felt very cliche, and I couldn't connect to him because that was his sole personality trait.

I also felt like the stakes, even though it was explained why the whole plot mattered, weren't that high. It didn't seem like it was that important for this quest to occur. It was still a fun read, but I had high hopes and I felt like this didn't quite live up to its full potential.

I was very excited to get to read this book early because I am a huge fan of Amie Kaufman. I've read pretty much everything she's written and she's a great author with great story ideas. I'm not sure if it was just the setting for this book, since I'm not fond of ships/sea stories, but it just kind of missed the mark for me. Most of the characters were interesting, but the prince is dull and shallow, with no background story at all besides being Mr. Positivity and the heart of every party. I wish we were given more info so that we could become more invested. Of course, I will continue to read Amie's books, this one just was not my favorite.

Thank you Random House Childrens and NetGalley for the digital ARC of The Isle of the Gods.

I truly did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Selly is so interesting, complex, and flawed - which is my favorite kind of character. No one was what they seemed on the surface, which is so true to real life. The care free prince was actually a powerful magician who cares deeply for his people. Keegan was probably the least complex but still an excellent addition to the story. And it really showed how often the people most impacted by war are the ones who want it the least and are just trying to be kind to one another.

Honestly, my head is still spinning. So it really is hard to talk about everything without risking spoilers. So here is a nice little list of what I liked:
-Interesting characters who are flawed but it makes them even better
-Unique magic system and very cool deity system
-Spoiled prince with a heart of gold
-Immature girl who owns her sh*t and gets over herself because we stan a self-aware queen
-Questionable morality that the characters are debating how can they do this or what should they do
-Sass, lots and lots of sass

What I didn't like
-cliffhanger endings (I get it, but that has been all I've read lately and I would love some closure at this point)
-It did lull in a few spots, but that is bound to happen when otherwise the pacing is so nice and quick

Overall, this was fantastic and I'm hooked!

From me looking up some information on this book, this is a debut of YA for Amie Kaufman. I think it was a good first attempt at the genre by herself. Which I had not notice Aurora Rising was a co-write. I found this book a little harder to read only because the plot line was a little slow. However, I love any book with the concept of something lurking from the past. I just wish there was a little more "happening". Overall, beautifully written.

Book Name: The Isle of The Gods
Author: Amie Kaufman

ARC

Thank you to Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an ARC of Amie Kaufman’s newest book The Isle of the Gods

Stars: 4.5
Spice : 0

Book 1 of a New Series
Cliffhanger
Fast Paced Plot
Character Driven Narrative
Multi POV
High Fantasy High Seas Adventure
Young Adult.
Romance

Similar to Fable by Adrienne Young and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

- Topics
- Sacrifice
- War and Politics
- Coming of Age
- High Seas Adventure
- Guilt and Shame
- Personal Responsibility
- Actions and Consequences
- Tropes
- Enemies to Lovers
- One Bred
- Grumpy X Sunshine
- Righting Wrongs
- Thoughts.
- Plot Was Intriguing
- Loved the Magic System
- Multi-Mysteries that were Fairly Complex for YA
- Captivating Character Arcs
- The POV Changes Were VERY Distracting

Isle of the Gods is such an adventure. I loved the world building, which had a steampunk feel - autos and horses as transport, electricity. Most of the books was spent on the water, and the author’s love for sailing and being on the water really came through the page. There is a unique religious system, where the gods used to walk among the humans 500 years ago but no longer do and still have a high presence throughout the world. The magic system is also unique with the four elemental spirits. I loved our MCs, even our morally-gray one. A action-packed adventure that is typical of an Amie Kaufman book!

- 5 distinct POVS
- diverse cast, including lgbtq+

ARC was provided by publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Loved, loved, loved it!

The world building was top tier and the magic system was phenomenal. I was immersed through the entirety of this novel and never felt bored.

I also really enjoyed the hint of romance in this book - it felt believable and chemistry was there. This book does also have alot of different povs so if that bothers you, you may struggle with this book but you'll see why its necessary if you stick to it. I personally think I'm going to reread it, now that I know and understand who is who and how the magic is intwined.

Would HIGHLY recommend this book for one-bed trope lovers and at-sea lovers!

I tend to lean more towards sci-fi than fantasy, so when I come across a book that has a fusion of the two, I'm in heaven.

The Isle of the Gods is set in a world filled with magic, engineering marvels, social divisions, and religious zeal.

As each character sets out on their own journey, fate intervenes, and they'll soon find themselves facing a destiny beyond their imagination.

Through betrayal and sacrifice, they'll need to come together for the greater cause or risk war.

I devoured the book in a day. There might have been little sleep involved, but it was well worth it, and I can't wait for the next book!